Waikato Regional Council CEO champions workplace teams in Kururau Krusher multisport event.
The CEO, a 67 year old mountain biking matriarch, plus a husband and wife duo are amongst the twelve staff from Waikato
Regional Council set to tackle Taumarunui’s Kururau Krusher Multisport event this weekend, Saturday 22 February.
The two teams from 2013 have reshuffled by gender & age, and added a few extras to create the Waikato Regional Council GALS (Girls Are Legends), Waikato Regional Council
OWLs (Old Wise Lads), and the Waikato Regional Council Collaborators.
When spoken to, the GALS and OWLS first backed themselves for the intra-office win…followed by an admission that it will
probably be the “youngies” aka the Collaborators. The Collaborators team captain wasn’t so modest and admitted they
definitely have their eye on the glory of beating their colleagues.
Collaborator cyclist Ross Abercrombie is certainly keen to beat ex-team mate and CEO Vaughan Payne, “He dropped me for
the vets team so yeah, I’d like to take him out” admits Abercrombie, with only a slight tone of jest. “I’d like to think
that bar an equipment malfunction, we’ll take the win. That’s the thing about multisport though, anything can happen”.
The notorious Kururau Krusher features a challenging 109km multisport course with a 44km road cycle, followed by a 16km
run to arrive at the Whanganui River for a 23km paddle, and finishing with a 26km mountain bike back into Taumarunui.
The event also includes a 60km Krusher Duathlon (44km Road Cycle, 16km Run) plus single leg options and a 10km run/walk.
While the Collaborators may have stacked their team with seasoned members, the OWLS and GALS have recruited two
“newbies” to multisport, a husband and wife cycling duo, and are looking forward to converting them. Inspiration for the
GALS team comes in the form of their 67 year old mountain biking mentor Isy Kennedy.
“Isy is our mentor and inspiration” credits team mate McGregor. “She’s so vivacious and just addictive to be around.
She’s what I hope to be like at that age”.
What the team members do all agree on is the motivation and support they receive being part of the workplace teams and
the value put on such activities, particulary by CEO Payne. “He’s like a breath of fresh air” describes team member
Lyndell McGregor. “It’s so refreshing to be part of an organisation that really values our well-being and to have a CEO
you can actually approach at work, and go for a kayak with after work”.
Payne values the positive workplace morale such activities promote, and also champions the importance of supporting
grass roots events, particularly those organised by small towns and community groups. Hailing from Opotoki; a staunch
supporter and participant of the Motu Challenge, Payne is pleased to able to combine promoting an active workplace with
supporting such events.
“I certainly appreciate the amount of work that goes into events like this by community groups and think it’s important
to support them” Payne explains. “This will be my 4th or 5th time doing the Kururau Krusher – we had two teams last year
and I want to see more next year”.
The Jilesen Contractors Kururau Krusher is organised by the Taumarunui Multisport Club and is to be held Saturday 22
February 2014. Event options include the full course 109km Krusher Multisport (44km Road Cycle, 16km Run, 23km Kayak,
26km MTB), 60km Krusher Duathlon (44km Road Cycle, 16km Run), single leg options and a 10km run/walk. Enter online or
download an entry form at www.kururaukrusher.co.nz. Full course descriptions and past results also available online.
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